Spider's Web
by thinkofthewindandsun
Summary: "He had always known he would have to give it up... It was just his fate, he knew." Keigo's good at letting go; he's done it all of his life.


**A/N: Keigo is honestly one of my favourite Bleach characters, no contest. He's funny, loud, and quick to get back up after being punched in the face by his friends. Yet he's got a more serious side we only really get a glimpse at when he goes after Aizen with a stolen sword. Honestly, that's pretty awesome.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Bleach show or characters. I do own the plot, if you can call it that.**

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He had always known that he would have to give it up.

All the useless attempts at reconstructing their fragile friendship, the beautiful shattered friendship he had so cherished, were in vain.

They always had been.

It was always the same; he would make a friend, love them with all of his heart, and he would watch them find better friends, then he would let them go. Once, in the very beginning, he had thought there was something wrong with him, that he couldn't keep any friends. But it was just his fate, he knew. He was not meant to be the best friend or even the friendly enemy. His fate had always been to wait out the others around him for the inevitable crash.

It's why he didn't even blink when Ichigo turned to him from where he and his new friends were gathered. He sat a little ways away, silent and contemplative, watching them all with soft eyes. Ichigo looked concerned, he knew what was coming without hearing the next words.

'Oi, Keigo… are you alright? You're being sort of… quiet.' Ichigo sounded even more concerned than he looked, uncertain and oh-so-unaware.

He couldn't help but smile back, soft and gentle, like a mother sending off her child. And wasn't that what he was doing? Sending off the boy he had helped grow into a man even if the man didn't know it. It hurt, it always did, so the smile was a little sad, but it was also happy, because he knew things would only get better for the other without him, and that was all he wanted.

It was his fate, after all.

So he just smiled at Ichigo and the man's friends who had also turned to stare at him. He could see Orihime's eyes shining with worry, see the way Ishida's glasses flashed as he tilted his head thoughtfully, Chad's blank expression. He could read the way Tatsuki was about a second away from punching the smile away from his face and ringing his neck until she figured out what was the matter. Could see Mizuiro look up from his phone and actually frown knowingly.

_What great friends I've crafted_, he thought idly, even as he slowly packed away his lunch. _What beautiful relations have been made_. Perhaps it wasn't all him, some of it had to be their doing, but he knew that he had helped those friendships form between the group, like a spiderweb. Stunning and intricate and yet so delicate and strong. It was something he was proud of, this achievement, and it also signified what he knew was the end. Because he could see the fine spider-strings connecting them all and he knew that he was no longer needed.

'I don't understand…' Ichigo muttered, staring with wide eyes.

He smiled a little softer, realizing he had said everything aloud, and then he got to his feet and brushed off of his pants. He turned away and began walking, only stopping once on the other side of the open doorway, knowing that they were listening intently for his explanation. He let the door slip shut with a resounding click, already walking down the stairs at an easy stroll, hands shoved deep into his pockets. His silence continued until he stood in the empty classroom, his eyes locked onto the sky outside.

His smile remained in place as he whispered softly to the breeze, words that would never be heard by anyone else.

'I'm the spider, Ichigo. When my web is done, I have to move on.'

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**A/N: Okay, that was really depressing. But I feel like Keigo's a really underrated character, and that his friends sort of overlook him most of the time. I think Keigo's really self-aware and puts up a front for his friends because he doesn't like seeing them unhappy, but that's just me.**

** Also, the type of love referenced isn't "in love" love. It's the kind you get for a really close friend or sibling, where you cherish them and want to protect them with your life, but you let them grow and be themselves because you can't bear to stifle them. That kind of love. All platonic, nothing romantic.**


End file.
